About
Since childhood I have been excited by, and using the applications that have shaped our world. I always thought about how those applications came to be and what went into creating them, but felt like I didn't have the time to devote to learning the craft of software development. After spending over 15 years building a fulfilling career in sales and management, I found myself interacting more and more with the people responsible for creating the platforms we used. I enjoyed hearing about the problems they faced and the multitude of ways they solved them. Often our conversations focused on how I as a user of a platform interacted with a platform or product and how things could be added, improved or removed. During these conversations I often found myself thinking… What if I worked on these problems? As time went on I stopped asking what if and started asking why not, and how?
I found resources like edX and Coursera and in my spare time started moving through them. I remember feeling discouraged after getting stuck on problems, but I also remember how great it felt when I would overcome those challenges. I began to notice how my approach to problem solving began to change, and that I began to feel excited about getting stumped again. That's how I knew that software development was what I wanted to do. Becoming a software engineer has ignited a passion for learning and provided me with a new creative outlet.
When I'm not studying, I like to spend my free time outdoors. I'm passionate about running, biking or roller skating (yes people still roller skate). I've also been tracking these activities using Strava, an application that stores your stats and allows you and other users to see each other's activities. I found that using Strava kept me motivated to exercise even when I made excuses not to. It's only appropriate then that the project I am currently working on, Cadence, a full stack clone of Strava combines two of my biggest passions: Strava being such a big part of my life for so long and software engineering. You can checkout Cadence my Strava clone, as well as other projects I've worked on here.
I'm thrilled to become someone who not only uses applications but also builds them.
